


careful

by sleeponrooftops



Series: lifeboats [5]
Category: The Almighty Johnsons
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-10
Updated: 2013-04-10
Packaged: 2017-12-08 02:41:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/756042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleeponrooftops/pseuds/sleeponrooftops
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mike and Anders get ready for baby Ty.</p>
            </blockquote>





	careful

The ocean is calmer than it’s been in a long time, and so Mike calls grandpa one Saturday and asks him to take them out to do some baby shopping.  Anders’ arm is out of its sling and cast, but his fingers are still a little sore sometimes, especially when it’s raining.  And so Mike has to help his little brother get dressed that morning as the rain pours down around them.  Once he’s dressed in jeans, a blue sweater, and little Converse, Mike carefully makes him eggs and helps him into his seat at the kitchen table.  While Anders eats, he gets dressed in jeans, a t-shirt, a sweatshirt, and Converse before he makes himself a bowl of cereal.  When they’re finished, he tugs Anders’ hat down over his blonde curls, makes a mental note to ask grandpa to take them to the barber, and gets him into his jacket, leaving him by the door while he puts on his own hat and jacket.  By the time they’re done, grandpa is just pulling up in the driveway, and so Mike picks little Anders up—because he’s still so tiny, and he doesn’t seem to be growing very fast—and runs out to his car, helping his brother in before he runs around to the other side of the car and gets in.  Grandpa waits until they’re all buckled and ready before he pulls out and drives off.

 

“Okay kid,” he says, looking over at Mike in the passenger seat, “What’s up for today?”

 

“Anders needs a haircut,” he says immediately so he won’t forget, “But we need to get baby stuff, too, like clothes and a teddy and diapers and stuff.  Mum says she’s gonna have the new baby soon, so everything needs to be ready for him, and I think I remember it all from when Anders was little.”

 

“Did your father bring down the crib?”

 

“No, I did it a while ago, when Anders was at the hospital that day.”

 

“What about the rocking chair, is that still in your room?”

 

“Yeah, and the changing table.  Can you come in when we’re done, though, and move it up a little higher?  It’s too low because I’ve gotten taller.”

 

“I know, you’re practically a giant now!” grandpa exclaims, grinning, and he flashes his smile at Anders through the rearview mirror, “This one, though, what a little cutie.”

 

“I’m not little!” Anders cries, and Mike laughs, turning to look at him.

 

“Yeah, you are,” he says, and Anders sticks his tongue out.  Mike just smiles and turns around again.  Grandpa chats with them while they drive, and their first stop is at the barber, where Anders sticks his lower lip out in a pout, but Mike just sighs and crawls into the backseat after grandpa has parked.  “Be good, okay?  It’s just a haircut, you’ll be fine,” he promises, undoing Anders’ seat.  He gets out first and holds out his arms, and Anders scoots over to him, clutching tightly to him as Mike jogs out of the rain and under the awning while grandpa shuts and locks the car.

 

Inside, they get Anders settled up with his usual barber, and Mike sits with grandpa on the waiting chairs, swinging his legs idly.  “You know,” grandpa says, nudging Mike, “You’re a pretty awesome brother.”

 

“So is Ands,” he says with a shrug, “Mum always said he was a quiet baby.  Do you think the new one will be, too?”

 

“Maybe.  You’ll just have to take extra good care of him if he isn’t.”

 

“I’ll take extra good care even if he is,” Mike says, “He’s my _brother_.”

 

“You think it’s a boy?”

 

“I know it is.”

 

The rest of their day is filled with shopping, Anders holding tightly to Mike’s hand as they wander through the shops, the two of them pointing out things and arguing over which is better.  When it gets late, grandpa treats them to dinner and ice cream, and Anders yawns, stumbling out of the restaurant.  Mike has to help him into his seat, and he’s asleep by the time they get back to the house.  “I’ll get him,” grandpa says when Mike starts to go around to Anders’ side, and Mike shakes his head, opening the door.

 

Grandpa watches him as he unbuckles Anders and gathers him in his arms, shushing him when he stirs and makes a soft noise.  “It’s okay, it’s just me.  Go back to sleep, we’re home.”  Anders yawns and snuggles in against him, and so Mike heads up to the house, leaving grandpa to take care of the car door.  He waits until grandpa meets him at the front door, opening it, and then he carries Anders upstairs, not stopping in to say hello to his mum in the living room, where she’s talking quietly with his father.  Grandpa brings in the shopping while Mike puts Anders to bed, carefully changing him into his pajamas and tucking him in, and he leaves the overhead light on so that he and grandpa can see while they bring everything in.  Grandpa raises the changing table for him, leaves the bags by the rocking chair, and waits until Mike gets into bed before kissing each of his grandsons on the temples and leaving them in darkness.

 

In the morning, Mike wakes up to yelling, and he scrambles out of bed, going over to the door and peeking out of it.  His parents are just leaving their room, his mum holding her belly, and he pulls the door open wider, biting back a smile.  “Mum?” he asks, and she looks over at him, smiling when she sees him.

 

“Stay here with your brother, okay?  We’ll be back in a little while.”

 

“Be careful,” he says, and she starts to say something else, but Mike closes the door and goes over to where Anders is yawning as he sits up, rubbing at his eyes.

 

“What’s going on?” he asks tiredly as Mike sits on the edge of his bed.

 

“Mum’s going to the hospital, and she’s gonna come back with our new brother.”

 

“Really?” Anders exclaims, brightening, and Mike just nods, smiling.

 

“Yeah.  Go back to sleep, I’ll wake you for breakfast.”  He leaves Anders with a kiss and then goes back to his own bed, slipping under the blankets and staring over at the crib.

 

He can’t seem to fall asleep, and so he stays up watching the clock and thinking about his new brother and worrying about what he’ll do if it’s a girl.  Eventually, eight o’clock rolls around, and he gets out of bed, rousing Anders before going downstairs to make breakfast.  They have eggs and toast before Mike sets Anders up with some crayons and paper to draw pictures for the wall next to the crib like he did before Anders came, and then he busies himself tidying up, making the crib look nice, repositioning the teddy a half dozen times, and rocking impatiently in the chair.  The day passes like this, and Mike walks Anders down to the park when he starts to get bored.  When they get home, the house is still empty, so Mike makes them dinner and does his homework upstairs while Anders plays with a set of trains.

 

The next morning, it’s early when Mike wakes to the sound of a car pulling up, and he jumps out of bed, hurrying over to Anders and shaking him awake.  “Mum’s home!” he says when Anders blinks awake, and Anders shrieks in excitement and scrambles from his bed, holding onto the blankets as he slides to the floor.  He lands with a thump and follows Mike from the room, who thunders down the stairs, Anders following at a slower pace.  They wait at the bottom of the stairs, Anders holding tightly to Mike’s hand, though he starts bouncing when the front door opens and their mum comes through.

 

“Hey boys,” she says softly, “Go upstairs, I’ll be right up.”

 

“C’mon,” Mike says, picking Anders up so that they can get there faster.  They go to the rocking chair, Anders sitting with his back to one of the arms, his legs draped over Mike’s lap, and their mum comes in a few minutes later with a little blue bundle.  “Blue means a boy,” Mike whispers, and Anders claps his hands together, giggling.  “Sh,” Mike warns, taking his hands, “Be quiet so you don’t scare him.”

 

“Ready?” their mum asks, and Mike nods, already holding out his arms.  He thinks back on when Anders was a baby and how he used to hold him, and he gives Anders a look before taking the baby in his arms.  Anders watches intently, but keeps his hands to himself, and their mum cards a hand through Mike’s hand, saying, “His name is Ty.”

 

“Hello, little Ty,” Mike says, smiling down at his brother.

 

“Hi, Ty,” Anders whispers, waving to the baby.

 

“You can touch him,” he says to Anders, who nods and carefully places one of his hands over the blanket.

 

“Look!” he gasps when Ty yawns and opens his eyes, staring up at them.  Mike just smiles at Anders before turning his attention back to Ty, pushing against the ground with his feet so the chair rocks a little.

 

“Be careful.  I’ll be right back,” their mum says, and Mike nods, not looking up as she leaves.  Anders leans against him, still staring at baby Ty, and they stay like that together.


End file.
